Department for Transport

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 10 February of the report of the Local Government Association (LGA)The Path To Inclusive Footways, what assessment they have made of the statement by the LGA that "inconsiderate parking presents a real hazard and a potential danger to life"; and what plans they have to extend powers of local councils to enable them to ban pavement parking across England.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Department is fully aware that pavement parking can pose problems for all pedestrians. Local authorities are responsible for parking restrictions and already have powers to tackle pavement parking by implementing Traffic Regulation Orders. The Department has consulted on further options to help local authorities outside London tackle this issue and will publish a formal response when final decisions have been taken.

Road Signs and Markings: Rural Areas

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how much was spent on the installation and maintenance of traffic signs on minor roads in small villages in England in the financial year 2022–23.

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the number of traffic signs on minor roads in small villages in England has increased over the past decade; and if so, by what percentage, and what are the reasons for that increase.

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the policy for installing the same traffic sign on both sides of the road on minor roads in small villages.

Lord Davies of Gower: The policy for installing the same traffic sign on both sides of minor (and all other) roads is set out in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, as amended, which provides for both one or two traffic signs. The relevant local authority has responsibility for deciding how many to place depending on site circumstance and their own local transport policy. The Department for Transport does not hold any information about how much was spent on the installation and maintenance of traffic signs on minor roads in small villages in England in the financial year 2022–23 or whether the number of those traffic signs has increased over the past decade. No assessment has been made of sign installation and maintenance costs on minor roads in small villages in England for any year because that is a devolved budgetary matter for local authorities.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Labelling

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the information on food packaging to enable consumers to make informed choices.

Lord Douglas-Miller: All food sold in the UK must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. These rules require that a food label on pre-packed foods must show:the name of the food;a list of ingredients;the net quantity of the food and the quantity of certain ingredients used;ingredients causing allergies or intolerances;a best before or use by date;any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use;the name and address of the food business operator;instructions for use where necessary, anda nutrition declaration.Country of origin information is already required for fresh and frozen meat of beef, sheep, goat, pigs and poultry, as well as for uncut fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil and wine. For all other prepacked food, origin is required where its omission would be misleading to consumers. For processed food, where the origin of the primary ingredient is different to that of the food itself and the origin of the food is given, an indication that the origin of the primary ingredient is different or the specific origin must also be provided. At the Oxford Farming Conference, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced a rapid consultation to gather views on how we can make packaging information clearer to help boost consumer confidence and ensure farmers are fairly rewarded.

Food: Hospitals

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there is no significant cost increase to the NHS from proposed changes to the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering which would introduce new targets for sourcing locally produced food.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Government consulted on changes to the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF) in summer 2022. This included seeking views on different proposals for increasing the proportion of local food to be sourced within public sector procurement. The Government is considering its response and we are working closely with the NHS, as well as the HM Prisons and Probation Service and the Armed Forces, to ensure that any proposed changes to the GBSF are workable.

Import Controls: Disease Control

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of consignments will be physically inspected for compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary controls under their Border Target Operating Model; and how the suitability of that proportion will be kept under review.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The physical inspection rate for is determined by the risk categorisation of a particular commodity, as set out below. The review of risk categorisation is an ongoing and continual process. Defra undertake the risk modelling necessary to categorise commodities, advised by an expert panel comprised of risk analysts, risk managers and policy representatives from the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Food Standards Agency (which advises the UK and Welsh Governments), and Food Standards Scotland, alongside public health and disease control policy experts from the UK Health Security Agency and from the UK, Welsh and Scottish Governments. The categorisation is based on the inherent risk (high, medium or low) that the commodity poses to animal and plant health, food safety, alongside any specific risk from the country/region of origin. The categorisation approach draws on a range of data including disease outbreak data, known public health risks, transmission data, trade restrictions, non-compliance data and our confidence in the exporting country’s production standards and health controls, among other sources. Live animals and products of animal origin physical inspection ratesRisk Category Physical inspection rateHigh risk (live animals and high risk POAO, such as those subject to safeguarding measures)100%Medium risk1%-30%, depending on specifics of the importLow risk0%Plant and plant products physical inspection ratesRisk CategoryPhysical inspection rateHigh risk100% - Plants for planting, woody and/or for commercial production 30% - Plants for planting, non woody and for retail sale as outdoor plants 5% - Plants for planting, non woody and for retail sale as indoor plantsMedium Risk3%-5%Low Risk0%

Fertilisers: Sales

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate are sold securely for lawful purposes.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Control of Poisons and Explosives Precursors Regulations 2023 introduced new substances to the lists of regulated explosives precursors and poisons including the acquisition, importation, supply, possession and use of ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen. From 1 October 2023 businesses supplying ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen to business customers need to take additional steps to verify the legitimacy of the professional user or business. They must now obtain a form of photographic identification as well as the business name and address, a statement of the nature of their trade and their VAT registration number. This information must be recorded and retained for 18 months and available for inspection. Ammonium nitrate is listed as a regulated explosives precursor meaning a member of the public is only able to import, acquire possess or use the substance with a valid Explosives Precursors and Poisons Licence. Calcium ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate are listed as reportable explosives precursors under the Poisons Act 1972 meaning a business selling these substances must report any potential suspicious transactions within 24 hours. The Fertiliser Industry Assurance Scheme (FIAS) controls the supply and distribution of AN in GB. The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) manages the development and implementation of the scheme under the supervision of the FIAS Steering Group. In GB, should any products contain more than 28% by weight of ammonium nitrate, then they should also meet the requirements of The Ammonium Nitrate Materials (High Nitrogen Content) Safety Regulations 2003. In Northern Ireland, the Control of Explosives Precursors etc. Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 are in operation. Under these regulations, ammonium nitrate is classified as a tier 1 substance, and therefore requires a licence for supply, acquisition, possession, use or import into Northern Ireland. Individuals who hold a tier 1 substance licence must complete a record of each acquisition, supply or import into Northern Ireland. Individuals with a license have obligations towards keeping records and obtaining police consent for transactions over a certain weight or measure.

Food and Nutrition

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, under the proposed new Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering, they have completed an assessment to determine if it is possible for food to be both locally sourced and consumed according to its proposed local maps, meeting all specialist dietary needs.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Government consulted on changes to the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering including increasing the sourcing and consumption of local food. The consultation sought views on several different proposals for a working definition of local in this context. As the Government response to the consultation has not been published it is too soon to comment and pre-empt any specific findings. However, we recognise that pursuing the local target poses feasibility issues and so we will continue to work closely with external partners in developing new policy which does not impact the availability of foods for those needing special diets.

Glyphosate

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission or gather evidence about the real-world impacts of glyphosate on human health and the natural environment, ahead of the decision on whether to renew approval of glyphosate in 2025.

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the acknowledgement by the European Food Safety Authority when assessing glyphosate in the EU of concerns regarding impacts on both human health and the environment which were not addressed due to missing data and a lack of guidelines, what steps they plan to take to address these information gaps in the run up to, and during, the renewal process for glyphosate.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Glyphosate is currently approved as an active substance for use in pesticide products in Great Britain. As part of its renewal assessment the Health and Safety Executive, as the Government’s expert regulator for pesticides, will conduct a thorough and robust scientific risk assessment to determine if the approval of glyphosate should be renewed in line with assimilated Regulation 1107/2009 of the GB plant protection products legislation. As part of this assessment HSE will consider all data required by the legislation and can request additional data from the approval holder should this be required before reaching its decision.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health: Disadvantaged

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Institute of Health Equity’s report Health Inequalities published in January, which showedthat between 2010 and 2020 nearly 1.2 million people died prematurely from a combination of poverty, austerity and COVID-19, and what redress have they offered to the families of the victims.

Lord Markham: The Department commissioned a review of trends in mortality in England which was published in 2018. This concluded that the overall slowdown in improvement in mortality trends, evident in many other countries, was likely due to number of factors operating across a wide range of age groups, geographies and causes of death. The Department publishes and monitors data on trends and disparities in mortality, including premature mortality and excess deaths, and this is part of a wide range of data that informs policy decisions.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Community Housing: Cooperatives

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support the housing cooperative sector.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government is committed to supporting housing co-operatives and other providers of community-led housing. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the Government's planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied, and was most recently revised in December 2023. The National Planning Policy Framework now includes several measures that will support the diversification of the housing market, including the growth of the community-led housing sector. These new measures include:A new community-led housing exception sites policy to encourage local authorities to support the development of community-led sites that deliver affordable housing to meet local need;encouragement to local planning authorities to seek opportunities to support small sites to come forward for community-led development for housing;greater emphasis on the role that community-led development can have in supporting the provision of housing in rural areas; anda definition of “community-led developments”, which will help planning authorities provide support for local proposals for community-led housing development;Community-based groups (or their partner organisations) who are registered as providers of social housing may apply for capital grant through the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme (AHP).In addition, in 2023, we provided £3 million to support a social finance fund to provide equity and loan finance for community-led housing schemes across England. This fund is expected to support the delivery of 1587 homes over ten years.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Hamas: UNRWA

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government when they first received any information or intelligence of allegations that staff of UNRWA were aiding and abetting Hamas.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, called myself on 26 January to report that Israel had brought allegations against 10-12 UNRWA employees who Israel claims had taken part in Hamas' 7 October attack, and to outline the actions that UNRWA had taken.

Department for Business and Trade

EU Law

Lord Krebs: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to theRetained EU Law Parliamentary Report for the period June 2023–December 2023, published on 22 January, what is the departmental breakdown for the following categories set out in Table 2 ('HMG roadmap for the stock of REUL'): (1) 'Propose to revoke in 2024', (2) 'Propose to revoke in 2025–26', (3) 'Propose to reform in 2024', and (4) 'Propose to reform in 2025–26'.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: To meet our obligations under Section 17 of the Retained EU Law Revocation and Reform (REUL) Act, the first REUL report included a comprehensive list of REUL which has been reformed and revoked and detailed our plans for forthcoming reform SIs. In addition, and to provide Parliament with further insight, the report provided an indication of Government's future roadmap for REUL reform for the whole period to June 2026, informed by reporting from government departments to the Department for Business and Trade (i.e Table 2). In many cases the reforms in the roadmap for future years, are still under development and so the full details of these reforms have not been included in this first report. As details of future reforms are finalised, the Government will provide updates every 6 months via future reports alongside updating the REUL dashboard.

Department for Work and Pensions

Child Benefit

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have carried out, if any, to ascertain the effect of the two-child benefit cap on the lives of the affected children and their families.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: There has been no research completed to ascertain the effect of the policy on the lives of the affected children and their families. However, DWP is committed to supporting families and helping parents into work. This requires a balanced system that provides strong work incentives and support for those who need it, but that also ensures a sense of fairness to the taxpayer and many working families who do not see their incomes rise when they have more children.

Ministry of Justice

Probate

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that probate applications are processed within 16 weeks of being submitted, in line with the Government's target, following reports that at present some applicants are experiencing delays of up to a year.

Lord Bellamy: The probate service received record levels of applications during 2022 and this has continued to grow with higher levels of receipts during January to September 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.HMCTS is focused on increasing outputs to reduce overall timeliness on all types of applications and the average mean length of time taken for a grant of probate, following receipt of the documents required, is 13 weeks during July to September 2023.Average waiting times for probate grants are routinely published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly and currently cover the period up to September 2023.HMCTS has increased staffing levels, streamlined internal processes and continued to invest in further improving the digital service.As a result, the number of grants issued for recent months has been at record levels, with over 15,500 more grants issued than applications received during the last four months (September to December) using more recent management information published by HMCTS (which does not go through the same level of quality assurance and analysis as the Family Court Statistics Quarterly).

Cabinet Office

Alice Perkins

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what were their reasons for nominating Alice Perkins, former Chair of the Post Office from 2011 to 2015, for a recommendation for honours.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Ms Perkins was awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the Birthday Honours 2002 List when she was serving as Head of Civil Service Corporate Management and Reform within the Cabinet Office. Honours nominations are made in confidence and there is an expectation that they remain confidential in order to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the honours system.

Department for Education

Schools: Inspections

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many Ofsted inspections have been impacted by inspectors losing live notes because of faults in the electronic evidence gathering digital platform.

Baroness Barran: This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the noble Lord and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Northern Ireland Office

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government, followingpublication of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper (CP 1021) on 31 January,when they intend to introduce legislation to fulfil the commitment in that paper to repeal all statutory duties relating to the 'all-island economy'.

Lord Caine: The Government is working actively to deliver commitments made in the Safeguarding the Union command paper, which was published on 31 January (CP 1021). This includes the passing into law on 20 February of two statutory instruments to give effect to legislative assurances contained within the command paper. Any required further legislation will be brought forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy Charter Treaty

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty.

Lord Callanan: On 22 February 2024, the UK announced it is withdrawing from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). The UK will now initiate the process to withdraw from the ECT. The UK is required to give a one-year notification of withdrawal, removing Treaty protections for new investments made after this period.

Treasury

VAT: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government in which areas Northern Ireland is not subject to VAT changes which apply to other parts of the UK under the provisions of the Windsor Framework.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Windsor Framework ensures Northern Ireland benefits from the same VAT changes as the rest of the UK. That includes the zero-rate on Energy Saving Materials and the newly expanded zero-rate on Women’s Sanitary Products.